Impact-damping structures with crash boxes are used in motor vehicles for enhancing safety. In addition, damage to the body structure of the vehicle caused by accidents at low speeds can be diminished using these crash boxes. To this end, the crash boxes are designed as deformation bodies integrated into the motor vehicle in such a way that their deformation partially absorbs the impact energy that arises when the motor vehicle collides with an obstacle. The crash boxes thereby diminish the transfer of impact energy to the body structure, in particular to the two vehicle chassis members, and can in so doing limit or entirely prevent damage thereto.
Such an impact-damping structure is known from publication U.S. Pat. No. 7,000,975 B2. To this end, the known impact-damping structure exhibits a damping support that takes the form of a crash box serving as a transition to a reinforced transverse impact member at the end of a lateral chassis member of the vehicle body, and is arranged between the reinforced transverse impact member and the end of the lateral chassis member. To this end, the damping support exhibits a front connecting wall, which is fixed to the reinforced transverse impact member, and a rear connecting wall flanged to the end of the chassis member. The front and rear connecting walls are joined together by a plurality of connecting ribs, and an outer and inner rib are fixed on the front connecting wall at a respectively acute angle.
The disadvantage to this impact-damping structure with its front and rear connecting walls is that these connecting walls block any and all access to the interior of the chassis member. The end of the chassis member is rather bent open like a flange for flanging the rear connecting wall while covering the inner profile of the chassis member. A towing lug that aligns flush with a chassis member cannot be attached without weakening the crash box or damping support.
At least one object is to provide an impact-damping structure with crash box that overcomes the disadvantages of prior art, and enables the attachment of a towing lug to elongate one of the chassis members. In addition, other objects, desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent summary and detailed description, and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.